BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 06:30 AM

Back in an America when they used to make shoes, we would cross the bridge over the mighty Susquahanna river and watch the Endicott-Johnson shoe company release their excess tourquoise shoe dye that turned the entire river a brilliant beautiful blue green.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 06:01 AM

Red, thats a great line in Hitchiker's Guide too.
We did 2 years in semi isolation, we're tough enough to endure 2 more years of its after effects. I don't think "for the lack of pumps, a nation was lost".

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Mr Red
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 04:06 AM

It will all end in tears. Believe me.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 21 - 06:06 PM

I swing by DSW shoe store periodically to see what is in the clearance section, and because this time of year I can sometimes snag a nice handbag or garment as a gift item. I looked through my shoe size area and about half of the shelves were empty, usually they would be crammed full of the clearance shoes. Fewer shoes being sent back there because a lot are stuck out at sea somewhere.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Joe_F
Date: 14 Nov 21 - 05:55 PM

Amazingly, yesterday my Stop & Shop was back in jumbo eggs. There were plenty of them; I didn't have to hunt. And there were 1-quart bottle of whole milk; usually, there is nothing smaller than half a gallon. What did I do to ingratiate myself with the shortage demons?

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 14 Nov 21 - 04:39 AM

Talk now is of a shortage of cab drivers here in some parts of the UK

"For people crowding back into restaurants, stumbling out of reopened clubs, or heading again to airports, life is getting back to normal. At least that is until they pick up their phone for a taxi, or search a ride-hailing app, in vain. Where have all the cab drivers gone?

"It’s horrendous,” says Steve Farrier, owner of Alpha Cars in Havant, Hampshire. “You can’t get drivers for love or money. You don’t get a break.” He turns the automated booking service off at weekends, “or we couldn’t meet the demand”.

For most of 2020 and 2021, it was customers that were missing, as Covid killed the cab trade. Now firms small and large, from Alpha to Uber, lack drivers at a time when business could boom again.

Many cab drivers who left – for sectors such as retail, which have staff shortages of their own – have little desire to return. Others face long waits for paperwork and tests. And those who stayed can choose the jobs they take, leaving the less lucrative pick-ups stranded.

If a taxi is a luxury for some, it remains a lifeline in rural areas without public transport, for shift workers, those with disabilities, and people out late – particularly women, whose safety has again been put squarely in focus this year."

The Observer

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Nov 21 - 07:45 AM

Aluminum can shortage should last 2 years https://www.wastedive.com/news/ball-molson-coors-aluminum-can-shortage-production/595207/

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Nov 21 - 05:48 AM

Well said. Don't forget the shortage of food banks this year as billionaires play in low Earth orbit.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 10:56 AM

It's necessary to reign in the hedge funds that shop around to find companies to invest in then squeeze for higher profits (always at the expense of innovation and employee welfare). Read about Paul Singer and his Elliott hedge fund - he's truly an awful human being. (It's a very long read.)

It's necessary to address the Citizens United ruling that allows corporations to have a voice as if they're people. Except they're really really rich people who have made the political climate all the more fraught since that ruling. Thank you, supreme court.

It's necessary to regulate the ability of companies to purchase back their own stock - it didn't used to be possible, but the banking and investment regulations changed and suddenly investment isn't in the company and it's product and people, it's in buying back stock. Ask Senator Elizabeth Warren about this.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 07:40 AM

My opinion is that transportaion and warehouse jobs have been progressively underpaid until now those jobs are at subsistance levels and not worth the effort. The entire middle class has been strangled for the benefit of the richest. Yes supply, demand and Covid have a role in the shortagex but global economies have reached an inflection point. Why don't truckers work, rich people ask with no knowledge of the actual take home pay of the trucker. Its a job that giveth and taketh away by ~ half. To fix the problem employers and owners will have to give back.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 03:53 AM

the result of suppliers refusing to pay a proper rate for the haulage

A race to the bottom. But then if we drill even further the haulage industry economics is based on cheap fuel.

On a global warming scale we are beginning to reap what we have declined to sow IMNSHO. Or is that a needle point (:?
A tragedy of the commons fer sure.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 03:37 AM

I blame the early start, well earlier than normal. Bin day. We have been lucky down here and have only had minor disruptions to the refuse collections.

On a sewing related issue (or rather a lack of sewing), i have been looking for safety pins but have not managed to find any. Will try a couple of other shops today.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 02:58 AM

"You reap what you sew"

You'll have me stitches in a minute! (Sorry, couldn't resist that one....)

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 02:50 AM

"Low wages is a cop-out excuse until you are forced to admit that Johnny Foreigner was willing to work for the low wages, as long as (s)he felt welcome."

Well here in the UK, low wages have largely been the result of suppliers refusing to pay a proper rate for the haulage. It has been that way for years. Transport is just another undervalued industry.

You reap what you sew. All those 'free' deliveries are coming home to roost, along with the covid and brexit effects.

Unfortunately there are no quick and easy solutions.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 07:29 PM

Shipping is only a segment of many private entity components. Ther is not an overarching communication center or government regulatory process.

I make games. My first one was called Power and Greed. It made the papers but not a profit. This is not the best time to release new products. My new game is called Fantasy Politics. It is similar to Fantasy Football in real time but with grave consequences. For example when you land on Excess Hollywood the polls determine the candidates to be Tom Hanks vs. Ted Nugent in 2024. Well anyway with 908 containers with the new game sitting out in the harbor for three months the ad campaign has been canceled. Purchase contracts are canceled as well as distribution. Fortunately there is a virtual digital internet version of fantasy politics which has a favorable rating greater than Biden.
It even works better than HBO max.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 06:48 PM

There are now more than 230,000 HGV licence holders under the age of 45 alone in the UK deciding not to work in the commercial haulage sector.

Too easy a stat to trot out. People leave trucking all the time, it is called life. The industry trains new drivers all the time. In an ideal world that would be just slightly overbalanced. In 2015 it was obvious the new balance had to take into account Johnny Foreigner leaving the land of Xenophobia. To the point that the imbalance reached 60K by the end of 2019. Pre-COVID. Low wages is a cop-out excuse until you are forced to admit that Johnny Foreigner was willing to work for the low wages, as long as (s)he felt welcome.

Did the UK Gov &/or industry acknowledge the inevitable and up the training of replacements?

We can blame the Evergreen/Suez debacle for shortages too. Re-routed ships taking longer, empty containers in the wrong place. The system of world trade is so narrowly tuned, there is no slack in it. And COVID hasn't finished with us yet.

Given the rise of nationalism everywhere and these shortages, I see isolationism shaking its head in sarcastic reproof.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 09:33 AM

But you have a point with irritability and anxiety.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 08:29 AM

Aggression is NOT a cannabis withdrawl factor.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 07:31 AM

Even more worrying considering the long distances they have to travel. I don't know if they are as tight on driving hours as they are here in the UK.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 07:17 AM

even if those drivers use the drug in their off-hours and live in states where it’s legal.

I've said this often enough:

News Scientist reported on research that revealed the probaility that 7 days after imbibing cannabis there is a peak of aggression. Just the thing you want for drivers, particularly trucks. Maybe NHTSA has read the same reports.

My impression from colleagues & acquaintances is that it is a withdrawal symptom that is a stress. Aggressive people are aggressive. Paranoic folks are paranoic. I have observed both in known users.

And a friend did explain her hubby got so bad at 5 days she got him some more and at day 12 (7 day gap) it re-surfaced, he is a lorry driver. She had to give it up personally because the railway authority she worked for tested regularly and it can be detected 1 month later. She was an emergency rail traffic controller!

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 03:39 PM

It is Taiwan that supplies the most chips.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 01:33 PM

I heard that cheap, plastic toys made in China might be unavailable for Christmas. I think this may be a good thing. Do we really need so much plastic junk that gets chucked out after a few weeks' play?

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 12:59 PM

In the US the automobile marketplace has been hit by the lack of chips (out of China) and such that go into new vehicles - and has put pressure on both the new and used car markets. I spoke to a guy recently who had to wait two months to take delivery of his new Toyota pickup.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 11:39 AM

We shop weekly at Morrisons and Tesco. My husband likes turkey pieces to roast and add to his Fiery Horror curries, but there were no packs of turkey legs/wings etc. I think they're saving whole turkeys for Christmas (there were lots of those in the big freezers)
Also, Tropicana orange juice was missing today. However the milk situation was as normal, with plenty of blue-top in all sizes (I adore full milk)
Such a relief to have all petrol stations open and no long queues.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 04:01 AM

So Santa's workshop has labor problems and sick reindeer have caused transportation tie ups.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 03:43 AM

An informative article from The Guardian about toy shortages. Not just toys of course. The article also points out the problems in China with power supplies and a shortage of skilled labour.

China, shipping and Brexit: why UK may face Christmas toy shortage

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Nov 21 - 10:43 AM

I'm hoping that a new cohort of truck drivers steps in as they get the training (and encouragement) - there are more women driving truck than ever before. And it is becoming a job that many Sikh men are deciding to do. Part of the trouble for trucking is that every time there is some horrific crash with a family vehicle pulverized under the trailer of a truck driven by a sleep-deprived driver, laws are put into effect regarding the length of time people can drive before pulling over to sleep. Logs must be kept. So of course there are separate records kept to be shown at the weigh stations where these things are inspected. This story is from 2018 - this shortage of truckers isn't new, it just got a lot worse during the COVID-19 era.

If it comes to a point where pay is good enough so a reasonable work day (or driving in teams) is what truckers choose, it will be better for everyone.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 06 Nov 21 - 05:08 AM

Staff shortages are causing problems in Australia too.

Australia jobs: 'The staffing issue is impossible'

"Pandemic border closures have further exacerbated a serious skills shortage that has, for years, held Australia's economy back.

Many foreign workers swiftly returned to their home nations when parts of the Australian economy retreated into a long and uncertain Covid hibernation.

Now, blinking in the spring sunshine, Sydneysiders, Melburnians and Canberrans are now emerging from their Covid caves, and are eager to spend, however, many businesses are facing a chronic labour crunch - they can't find enough staff to keep their businesses running."

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Nov 21 - 08:29 PM

There is a shortage of truck drivers. Many of the existing drivers will not obey vaccine OR testing mandates. I call this an American standoff.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 05 Nov 21 - 03:13 PM

There doesn’t appear to be any shortage of fireworks - they’ve been going off like the opening barrage of The Battle of The Somme every night for the past week, and I reckon they’ll be going for another week or so.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 05 Nov 21 - 02:32 PM

Brexit does seem to be causing you problems in the US.

From the article from Recode/Vox

"One step to address the labor shortage would be to change the federal government’s approach to drug testing truck drivers. Right now, Department of Transportation regulations don’t allow commercial truck drivers to use cannabis, even if those drivers use the drug in their off-hours and live in states where it’s legal. Most of the tens of thousands of drivers who have lost access to their commercial driver’s licenses over the past two years have tested positive for cannabis, which is why some supply chain experts think it’s time to relax the rules."

That seems a sensible approach! I would like more accurate figures than 'tens of thousands'

Covid has caused a huge amount of problems to the transport industry. I guess we could buy less stuff.

Living in such a large country does add to your problems. Here in the UK it is easier for a haulier to collect, deliver and then return to the port to collect another container the following day. Well, easier in theory anyway. We also have the problem of too many empty containers taking up space.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Nov 21 - 02:00 PM

Shipping is broken. Here’s how to fix it. from Recode via VOX.

Holiday season shipping is making supply chain problems worse, but there’s hope for next year.

By Rebecca Heilweil Nov 5, 2021, 12:30pm EDT

As of Friday morning, approximately 70 ships filled with cargo were anchored outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which are the points of entry for more than 40 percent of US imports. This backlog is a clear reminder that there aren’t enough workers or facilities to take in all the products that are being shipped to the United States right now. But even as supply chain problems continue to pile up, experts say progress is possible.

The pandemic has exposed the fragility of the US logistics industry. Manufacturing bottlenecks and shipping delays have resulted in cargo piling up not only in port terminals but also in rail yards and warehouses. Critical equipment, like shipping containers and truck chassis, is unavailable, causing distribution centers to develop deep backlogs. Meanwhile, a surge in demand has strained the system even further.

The consequences of the logistics crunch are far-reaching. Shipping problems have made it harder to import medical supplies and export crops. Supply chain workers, including truck drivers and warehouse workers, are taking on grueling extra hours. Extra activity at the ports has driven up emissions and worsened the air quality for the communities that live in the surrounding areas. At the same time, small businesses are worried that, without supplies, they’ll lose critical holiday season sales to larger retailers like Home Depot and Walmart, which have chartered private cargo ships. There’s also growing concern that logistics issues are driving up prices on all sorts of everyday products.

to read the rest follow the link.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Oct 21 - 08:16 PM

Someone said they had a money shortage. Elon Musk got an extra 36 billion dollars yesterday. He is steamed that he may have to pay taxes and said, "They will run out of money and go after people like you next". -poor bunny-
They already go after the poor with sales tax that exceeds their income tax. The billionaire tax only effects about 750 folks here.
When a wealthy person needs to spend money on anything they ALWAYS borrow and NEVER touch their principle. They will payback slowly so that future dollars are worth less then deduct the loan. Sales tax for the billionaires is a tenth of one percent of a rounding error. Its basicly 0.
The rich get what they pay for when they purchase Congressman and rent Senators to protect their own interests. Wealth behavior would be strangely alien to the average person.
For a multi billionaire Elon at least makes something. Many don't make anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: leeneia
Date: 26 Oct 21 - 05:44 PM

Another shortage - I asked McDonald's for some strawberry jam for my sausage biscuit, but when I opened the bag, there were two packets of grape jelly in it. ugh

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: leeneia
Date: 25 Oct 21 - 01:02 PM

No Halloween stuff at Michaels?! That is a shortage.

The DH put up the purple lights on our porch a few days ago. Time to think about trick or treaters.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 04:16 PM

I went to Micheal's a craft store. No Halloween stuff. No glue. No brushs. Wide empty ailes and shelves of repetition like storage boxes spread out instead of stacked.
i could use new lenses too.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 12:51 PM

Charmion, I started using Zenni a few years ago and have been totally happy with the results. It looks like their standard shipping to Canada is 2 to 3 weeks. I typically receive my glasses within 2 to 3 weeks after placing the order, so that's about 10 days for production and a week for shipping within the US. I'm guessing you'd be looking at an extra week.

The thing with them is to upload a headshot and then you can try on your glasses virtually. The main number to know is "PD" - pupil distance - and that never changes, so once you have it you're set. And knowing how to enter your Rx into the form. I found the staff at the optometrist's office were helpful in explaining what each set of numbers means, including telling me my PD number.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 09:27 AM

Here in southwestern Ontario, the industrial heartland of Canada, I am now heading into my third month of waiting for new spectacles.

I don’t know where the problem is, but it’s big and it’s not just supply; it’s also quality. I ordered the specs in late July hoping for delivery in time for an early September road trip, and when they finally arrived in mid-October the lenses were ground wrong. So now I’m hoping for my July specs to arrive for Christmas.

I have worn specs since 1962, and I have never heard of problems like this before.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Rain Dog
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 09:14 AM

"Here in the UK Brexit has played a part in the problem."

As I said, it has played a part and will continue to do so for a good while yet. There is not going to be a rush of drivers wanting to come here.

This is one of the better articles I have read on the problem. Unfortunatly I could not create a clicky, web address seems to be too long.

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/supply-chain/the-real-causes-of-the-hgv-driver-shortage-and-why-we-cant-blame-it-all-on-brexit/659841.article

From The Grocer website by Harry Holmes 19th September

"There are now more than 230,000 HGV licence holders under the age of 45 alone in the UK deciding not to work in the commercial haulage sector. For whatever reason, these people have spent around £3,000 acquiring an HGV license only to later opt out of driving commercial vehicles for a living.

To put that in perspective, there are more 30 to 34-year-olds that fall into this category than there were total EU drivers in the UK before the pandemic.

It is unclear exactly why the numbers are so high, although working conditions, salary rates, and unsociable hours are all thought to be factors in the exodus of qualified people from the industry.

Many individuals also hold an HGV licence for use in other roles such as driving distribution vans for the likes of Amazon and Ocado, while others will have moved into managerial roles. Some drivers will inevitably have stopped working altogether."

---

Link coded by hand and inserted. ---mudelf

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 08:14 AM

There is a shortage of toys, decor and gifts this Christmas.
So all we have is friends, family and celebration of the Christ child?
I want an air fryer dammit.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 07:29 AM

Not quite true. Here in the UK Brexit has played a part in the problem.

Road Haulage Association figures

60K short by the end of 2019, Europeans leaving before the deadline?
20K left for Europe in 2020 plus 20K wary of the HGV test because of COVID, and HGV testers - not enough at work, cain't do it over Zoom. And alternate buses not running because of a shortage of drivers. HGV pays more!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It's beginning to look at lot like Brexshit, every where you look.

Logic would tell you it would happen, something to do with the Schengen Agreement. Look it up. The first domino?

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 06:51 AM

I hear that some people here use Yellow Tail as drain cleaner ;-) To be fair, the last time I tried their Shiraz was in Oz in 2006. I hope it's improved!

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Oct 21 - 02:24 AM

I'll have to load up then - I found an acceptable Shiraz from Yellow Tail that comes with a screw top - you know how hard those are to find? I'll pick up a few extra bottles next time I'm past the grocery store that carries a particularly low-end selection of wines. (These are good compared to the Mad Dog 2020, etc.)

The new printer is installed (that was a LOT of work and reorganizing of furniture and equipment) and I've bookmarked the places that supply ink. Hopefully I won't need more ink until long after all of this supply chain clog has resolved itself.

My office is looking like a studio these days. I have plenty of disks for burning copies of any music I convert from LP, cassette, or reel-to-reel. I'm set for the slides I want to scan. I'll muscle through the shortage as I work on my various projects. (Let's just hope that wine and chocolate don't become scarce.)

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Oct 21 - 07:21 AM

Due to a shortage of glass bottles, wineries are expecting to have an on going bottleneck in production.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 10:23 PM

They're probably trying to source the oxy from the wrong sources. Even with the lawsuit the Sackler family made sure there is a huge amount of that stuff still on the street.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 08:36 PM

On the bright side there is a shortage of Halloween junk and costumns.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Oct 21 - 01:43 PM

Heroin and Oxycontin is as rare as hens teeth due to supply chain problems. https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/covid/Covid-19-and-drug-supply-chain-Mai2020.pdf

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Oct 21 - 10:22 AM

The rest of that off-topic discussion was moved to the COVID-19 thread. Ironic, perhaps, but here we're not talking about COVID-19 so much as the effects of it.

I paid attention in Aldi yesterday to where there were shortages, but that could just be this particular Aldi on this particular day. They were a bit low on toilet paper, there were frozen things that weren't in view (just the empty slot where the boxes go). It might not be that they're short of the items, but are staff-wise short a stocker.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Oct 21 - 08:45 AM

Maybe that was the plan all along!

Yes, shortage of any workers is pretty bad and leads to shortages of all sorts of other things, including life :-( You and I are of an age where maybe it will not matter as much but I hope our kids and grandkids do not catch the fallout from all this.

Subject: RE: BS: Whats your shortage- is it hype? Supply chain
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Oct 21 - 06:26 AM

I personally don't give a flying fart about needles, Dave, but I know two people who faint at the very thought. They've both gritted their teeth and been and gone and done it, good for them. But they chose it and their jobs weren't threatened. We are not all the same. So I do think there's a difference.

And, on topic, this policy is going to massively exacerbate the already severe shortage of care workers. I don't call that rational. Who knows, poorer care, many more deaths of vulnerable people...